Transfer and setting-up of collapsed cartons



Oct. 25, 1938. I A. G. ROSE 3 TRANSFER AND SETTING-UP OF COLLAPSED CARTONS Filed Nov. 16, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet l I I I l I I I I 15 ve72f0r' @MM A65 I JW.M /7Z Oct. 25, 1938.

A. G.. ROSE Filed NOV. 16, 1937 TRANSFER AND SETTING-UP OF COLLAPSED CARTONS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IHHI 12112272 for; m/

Oct. 25, 1938. A s. ROSE- I 3 TRANSFER AND SETTING-UP OF COLLAPSED CARTONS Filed Nov. 16, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Even-07;

mwzikv M} Oct. 25, 1938. A. G. ROSE 2,134,418

TRANSFER AND. S ETTING-UP OF COLLAPSED CARTONS- Filed NOV. 16, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Oct. 25, 1938 UNITED STATES TRANSFER AND SETTING-UP 0F COL- LAPSED CARTON S Alfred German Rose, Gainsborough, England, as-

signor to Rose Brothers, (Gainsborough) Limited, Gainsborough, England, a British 'com- Application November '16, 1937, Serial No. 174,893

In Great Britain November 19, 1936 7 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for distend ing or setting up, prior to filling, collapsed cartons of cardboard or similar material and of the well known type comprising a tubular rectangular body portion constituting the four sides of the carton and hinged end flaps which are extensions of the sides and are adapted to be bent over at right angles to form the end closures.

The invention is concerned with carton. feeding apparatus of the type in which the empty cartons are fed, e. g. towards a filling machine, in pack formation one behind the other, and each in a fiat collapsed condition, that is with the end flaps extending in the same planes'as the sides of a which they are continuations, and with twolconjoined sides and their respective end flaps lying fiat against the other two sides and their end flaps.

This invention provides in apparatus of the above type mechanism operable at the front of the pack in succession on the cartons to insert a blade-like element between the front and rear portions of the leading carton, to move said blade forwardly of the pack carrying the leading carton ,with it, and during such movement to distend the carton towards the open rectangular form.

In its preferred form the mechanism comprises in combination means to insert a blade-like element between the front and rear portions of the leading carton and to position it behind one only of the front sides of the carton, means for moving the blade-like element, while inserted, forwardly from the pack carrying the carton with it, and means operable during the forward movement of the blade to exert back pressure on the other side of the front portion of the carton.

According to a feature of the invention a flapbending device may be arranged to operate at the front of the pack to bend outwardly about its hinge an end flap on the front portion of the leading carton, and so to present a gap for the insertion of the blade-like element. Conveniently the flap-bending device is in the form of a suction gripper.

A further feature of the invention relates to the provision of a fixed stop arranged at the front of the pack to engage marginally one side of .the

front portion of the leading carton, and a movable stop arranged to engage the other side of said front portion. The blade-like element is inserted behind the front side engaged bythe movable stop,

and by the action of the fixed stop on the corresponding carton side, back-pressure is exerted on that side and the carton isdistended. A second fixed stop, e. g. in the form of a roller, may be located at an'advanced position in the path of the carton to engage its free front side and complete the distention to rectangular form.

One constructional arrangement according to the invention comprises a carrier wheel located near the front of the pack for rotation about an axis parallel with the face of the pack, a plurality of transfer'blades mounted on the carrier wheel in a circumferential series at equal intervals apart, 7 means for rotating the carrier wheelstep by step to bring each transfer blade in turn to a separating station offset endwise from the leadingcarton and in substantially the same plane as it, and temporarily to arrest the blade at said station, means operable at the separating station, in timed sequence with the rotation of the carrier wheel, to move the transfer blade arrested at said station in an endwise direction to insert it between thefront and rear portions of the a leading carton, and means operable at a subse quent wheel" station to effect the endwise withdrawal of the inserted transfer blade from engagement with the carton. The means for effecting end-Wise movement of the transfer blades may comprise two endless chains intermittently driven in timed sequence with the step-by-step rotation of the carrier wheel, in combination with fixed arcuate guide rails located circumferentially with respect to the axis of rotation of the carrier wheel, and co-operating projections on the transfer blades arranged to ride on the guide rails during the rotation of the carrier wheel and: to be guided thereby into and out of engagement with the endless chains aforesaid.

A machine embodying the foregoing and other features of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings which are to some extent diagrammatic and in which:- Y

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the machine (taken at the line in Figure 2) showing the transfer blade carrier wheel andassociated mechanism, but omitting much of the driving gear and other parts which are of known type and form no part of the present invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional plan, with certain parts omitted, at the line 2-2 in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the opening out of the carton during its transfer,

Figure 4 is a perspective View illustrating the action of the flap suction gripper.

Figure 5 is, a perspective view showing the to operate are of the type illustrated in Figures 6 and '7. Each carton is of cardboard or similar"- material made from a one-piece blank, scored to define the edges and folded to tubular form, overlapping portions of the blank being gummed together as at I!) to form the tube. Each carton comprises two broad sides I I, I2, two narrow sides l3, l4, and formed as continuations of these sides, two sets of hinged end flapsnamel-y upper broadfiaps l5, l6 and upper narrow flaps l1, l8, and

lower broad flaps I9, 20 and lower narrow flaps 2|, 22adapted to be folded over at right-angles to their respectivesides'in orderto formthe end closures.

The present machine isadapted to handle car-- tons of the above type when in the collapsed condition, thatis to say with the end flaps extending in the same planes as the sides of which they are continuations and with the two conjoined sides I I, I4 (hereinafter referred to as the front sides) andtheir respective end'flaps l5, l8 and I9, 22, lying flat against the other two sides I3, I 2 (hereinafter referred to as the rear sides) and their end flaps ll, Is and 2|, 20. The cartons are assembled in a horizontal pack on a table 23 between guide rails 24, 25. The cartons are supported end-on at their edges I9, 26, 2!, 22 by the table and are fed towards the separating station by means of conveyor belts 26 which extend over the upper surface of the table. The conveyor belts 26'may be'arranged either to give an intermittent or slow continuous feed of the carton pack towards the separating station. At this station-indicated means of a fixed stop member 28' in the form of a roller located parallel with the face of the pack and arranged to engage marginally the front narrow side M of the carton, and by a movable stop 29' arranged to engage marginally the front broad side I I. Figures 1 and 4' show the two stopmembers 28", 29 in their engaging positions.

The first operation performed on the leading carton is the bending outwardly of the. upper broad end flap l5. This is effected by a suction gripper 30 carried on an arm 3| which is adapted to be rocked about a longitudinal axis 32 by means of arocker 33 and co-operating tappet 34. The rocker arm 3| is itself carried on a bar 35 movable like a crank about an offset vertical axis 36 to move the sucker arm from a position in front of the pack (Figure 4) into one alongside and clear of the pack. In operation the bar 35 is first swung about the axis 36 to bring the sucker 30' into engagement with the upper broad end flap l (then in an upright position flat against the rear end flaps IT, IS) suction is aplpliedland the arm 3| is then rocked about the axis 32 with the result that the sucker is moved outwardly and downwardly carrying the end flap with it, the

fiap being thus bent about. the hinge between it 70" and the corresponding broad front side I l of the carton-as, shown in Figure 4..

The next operation consists in the insertion of a transfer blade through the gap presented by the outwardly bent end flap l5 and into the in 75;

te'rior of the carton between the front and rear rarily to arrest it there.

portions thereof. The transfer blade mechanism is constructed and arranged in the following way: There are four transfer blades 40 supported by a carrier, comprising upper and lower spider arms 4|, 42, rotatable about the axis of the vertical shaft 43. The: transfer blades are set at 90 intervals and each is movable vertically in relation tothe carrier in guides provided by the spider arms. These guides comprise pins 44 on the lower spider arms engaging in slots 45 in the blades, and pins 46 on the upper spider arms engaging in slots 41 formed in upward extensions 48 of the blades; The blade carrier is rotated step-by-step by a Geneva stop or equivalent mechanism (not. shown) to bring each blade in turn up to the separating station 21 and tempo- Vertical movement of the transfer blades is effected by two endless chains one49 located at the side of the carrier close to the separating station and the other 50 located di'ametrically opposite on the other side of the carrier at what will hereinafter be referred toas the withdrawal station. The chains 49, 50 are intermittently driven (by mechanism not shown in the drawings) in timed sequence with the step-by-step rotational movement of theblade carrier. Each chain carries a number of outwardly directed U-shaped claws 5|, equally spaced apart in the length of thechainand adapted to co-operate with roller pins 52 which extend radially outwards from the transfer blades, one on each blade. Each pin 52 is locatedat the upper end of the blade, i. e. at the lower end of the slotted extension 48.

As shown in Figure 1 the endless chains 49, 55 are located with their inside laps, i. e. those adjacent to the carrier wheel, parallel with the transfer blades. The chains are so driven that the inside lapof the chain 49, operating at the separating station will move in a downwardly direction, while the chain 50, operating at thewithdrawal station, will-have its inside lap movable in an upwardly direction. The blade roller pins 52 are guided into and out of engagement with the chain claws 5! by means of upper and lower curved guide rails 5-3, 54 located on opposite sides of the wheel" respectively. During movement of a blade between the withdrawal station and the separating station (in the direction of the arrow in Figure 2) the roller pin 52 runs along the upper edge of the front upper guide rail 53, and the arrangement is such that when a blade is closely approaching the separating station, the chain 49 will be stationary and one of its claws 5| will be located in a position just above the end of the guide rail 53, so that the roller pin 52 will move smoothly off the end of the guide rail into the gap between the two jaws of the chain claw. During movement as aforesaid between-the withdrawal station and the separating station each blade is supported in'the elevated position. At the separating station the chain 49, a claw 5| of which-is in engagement with the M1152 ofthe separating to the withdrawal station, thebl'a'de' guide rail into the chain claw. Atthe withdrawal station the chain is operated to move its inside lap in an upwardly direction thereby elevating the engaged blade, and bringing the engaged pin 5'2 into a position opposite the end of the upper guide rail 53, so that on the next intermittent movement of the blade wheel the pin 52 will move on to the guide rail 53, and the position of the blade will thereby be controlled in the manner already indicated.

The machine is arranged to operate in the following sequence:- The sucker 30 is first actuated to engage and bend outwardly the broad end fiap of the leading carton. At this stage the carrier wheel and chains 49, 50 are stationary, with one of the transfer blades ll] supported in an elevated position at the separating station, the blade being located immediately above the leading carton and in substantially the same vertical-plane as that occupied by the carton. The endless chain 49 is now operated to lower the transfer blade through the gap presented by the outwardly bent end flap I5 and into the carton between the front and rear portions thereof. The lowered position of the transfer blade is shown in Figure 5. The transfer blade is of such width and is so presented, that when in the inserted position it will lie wholly within the area immediately behind the broad front side I I and its attached end flaps l5, !9. In other words the transfer blade, when inserted, is clear of the narrow front side l4 and its attached end flaps I8, 22. At about the same time as the transfer blade is being inserted, or just after its insertion, the suctionv at the gripper 3D is broken, and the gripper is moved, about the vertical axis 36, into a position alongside the pack and clear of it. At this time also the. movable stop 29 is moved out of engagement with the leading carton into a position at the side of the pack. For the purpose of effecting this movement the stop 29 is carried on an arm 60 pivotally mounted at 6! on a sleeve 62 which may be rocked about an axis 63. By partial rotation of the sleeve 63' the arm Bl! is moved forwardly of the pack, and at the same time the arm is swung laterally of the pack, about the pivot 6|, by means of a roller 64 carried by the arm 60 and co-operating with a fixed cam 65. The sleeve 62 is actuated by cam mechanism 65 from a driven shaft 61.

After the sucker 3G and movable stop 29 have been moved clear of the leading carton, the blade Wheel is operated to move through 90, and the engaged carton is carried with the blade round a semi-circular track 68. As the leading carton is moved away from the separating station, it will be understood that the fixed stop 28 is located in the path of the narrow front side [4 and its attached end flaps. In this way the fixed stop exerts a back pressure on the free side of the carton, and the latter is swung backwardly into a partially opened position. During the next 90 travel of the carrier wheel the engaged carton is moved past a second fixed stop 59 in the form of a roller adapted to engage the narrow front side l4 of the carton and its attached end flaps, and to complete the distention of the carton to rectangular form as shown in Figure 3. On arrival at the withdrawal station, the still inserted blade is withdrawn by the action of the chain 50, and from this station the distended carton isconveyed towards mechanism (which forms no part of the presentinvention) operating to close in and seal the lower end flaps, to fill the carton from the top, and finally to close in and seal the top end flaps.

the separating station the movable stop 29 is operated to engage the next carton of the pack (by the mechanism 62, 64,- 65 already described) and the sucker is operatedto engage and bend out the flap l5'of the next carton, and on arrival of another blade at the separating station the samesequence of operations is repeated; It will be understood that at the two wheel stations intermediate of the separating and withdrawal stations on each side of the wheel, no operations are effected on the cartons. I

1. In apparatus for feeding rectangular cartons of the type described from a pack in whichthe cartons are arranged in a fiat collapsed condition one behind the other, mechanism comprising in combination a flap-bending device in the form of a suction gripper, means forbringing said gripper into engagement with an end flap on the front portionof the leading carton and for moving the gripper in a direction to bend said flap outwardly about its hinges, means for inserting a blade-like Immediately a transfer blade is moved clear of element through the gap presented by the outwardly bent-end flap and into the carton to assume a position behind one only of the front sides of the cartonand its attached end flaps, means for breaking the suction at the gripper and moving it clear of the pack, means for moving the blade-like element forwardly from the pack to carry the carton with it, and means operable during the forward movement of the blade to exert back pressure on the other side of the front portion of the carton. V,

2. In apparatus for feeding rectangular cartons of the type described from a pack in which the cartons are arranged in a fiat collapsed condition one behind'the other, mechanism comprising in combination a fixed stop arranged at the front of the pack to engage marginally one side of the front portion of the leading carton, a movable 1 stop arranged to engage the other side of the front portion of said carton, a fiap bending device operable to bend outwardly about its hinges an end fiap appropriated to the carton side engaged by the movable stop, means for inserting a blade-like element through the gap presented by the outwardly bent end flap and into the carton behind the front side corresponding to said end flap, means for moving the movable stop clear of the leadingcarton, and means for moving the blade-like element forwardly from the pack carrying the carton with it.

' 3. In apparatus for feeding rectangular cartons of the type described from a pack in which the cartons are arranged in a flat collapsed condition one behind the other with the leading carton situated at a separating station, the combination of a carrier wheel located at said station, for rotation about an axis parallel to the at the separating; station to engage the trans: fer blade: there arrestedand to move said blade. in an endwise direction to insert. itbetween the front and rear portions of the leading carton, and a. second endless chain located at a subsequent wheeltstation and there operable to engage the inserted transfer blade and effect its endwise withdrawal from the carton.

' 4. The combination claimed in claim 3 combined with fixed arcuate guide rails located circumferentially with respect tothe axis of rotation of the carrier wheel, and co-operating projections on the transfer blades arranged to ride on the guide railsduring the rotation of the carrier wheel and to be guided thereby into and out of engagement with the endless chains aforesaid.

5. In apparatus for feeding rectangular cartons of the type described from a pack in which the cartons are arrangedin a fiat collapsed condition one behind the other with the leading carto-n situated-at aseparatingstation, the combination of a carrier wheellocated-at said station for rotation about an axis parallel to the face of the pack, a plurality of transfer blades mounted on the carrier wheel in circumferential series at equal intervals apart, means for rotating the carrier Wheel stepby-step to bring each transfer blade in turn up to the separating'station andto arrest it temporarily at said station, a flap-bend-- ing device in the form of a suction gripper located near the separating station, means for bringing said gripper into. engagement with an end flap on the front portion of the leading oarton and for moving the gripper in a direction to bend said flap outwardly about its hinge, means operable at the separating station, in timed sequenoe with the rotationof the carrier Wheel and with the operation of the flap-bending device, to

move the transfer blade arrested at said station in an endwise direction to insert it through the gap presented by the outwardly bent end flap and into the carton to engage behind one only of the front sides of the carton and its attached end flaps, means for breaking the suction at the gripper and moving it clear of the pack, means operable during movement of the transfer blade,

away from the separating station to exert back pressure on the non-engaged side of the front.

tion of a carrier wheel located at said station for rotation about anv axis parallel to. the. face of the pack; a plurality of transfer blades mounted on the carrier wheel in a circumferential series at equal intervals apart, means for rotating the carrier wheel step-by-step to bring each transfer blade in turn up tothe separating station-and to arrest it temporarily at said station, a-fixed' stop arranged at the separating station to engage marginally one side of the front portion of the leading carton, a movable stop'arranged to engage the other side of the front portion-of said carton, a flap-bending device operable to bend out: wardly about its hinge, an end flap appropriated to the carton side engaged by the movable stop, means operable at the separating'station to move the transfer blade arrested at said station in an endwise direction to insert it through the gap presented by the outwardly bent end flap and into the carton behind the front side corresponding to said end flap, means for moving the movable stop clear of the leading carton, and means operable at a subsequent wheel station to effect endwise withdrawal of the insertedtransfer bladelfrom engagement with-the car-ton.

7. In=apparatus-for feeding rectangular cartons of the type described from a pack in which the cartons are arranged in a fiat collapsed condition one behind the other with the leading carton situated at a separating station, mechanism comprising in combination a plurality of transfer blades spaced apart at equal intervals around a closed path, means for translating the blades together uni-directionally round said path tobring each blade inturn up to a position at the separating station. offset endwise of therleading carton and in substantially the sameplane as it, and temporarily to arrest the blade at said station, a flap-bending device in the form of a. suction gripper, means forbringing said gripper into en-- gagement with an end flap-on the front portion of the leading carton and for moving the gripper in a direction to bend said flap outwardly about its hinge, means. operable at the separating station in timed sequence with the translation of the,

blades and with the operationof the flap-bending device, tomove the transfer blade arrested at the separating station. in an endwise direction to insert it through the gap presented by the outwardly bent end flap and into the carton to engage behind one only of the front sides of the carton and its attached end flaps, means for breaking the suctionat the gripper and,'moving it clear oflthe pack, and means operable during movement, ofv the inserted transfer blade away from the separating station to exert back pressure on the non-engaged side of the front portion of the carton.

ALFRED GERMAN ROSE. 

